stonehedge residence, austin, texas

renovation / merit

A recent renovation of this 1980s house only highlighted its remaining architectural flaws. For phase two, the owners envisioned a bolder entryway, a larger living room, and a better connection to the backyard pool.

A recent renovation of this 1980s house only highlighted its remaining architectural flaws. For phase two, the owners envisioned a bolder entryway, a larger living room, and a better connection to the backyard pool.

A recent renovation of this 1980s house only highlighted its remaining architectural flaws. For phase two, the owners envisioned a bolder entryway, a larger living room, and a better connection to the backyard pool. “There was no hierarchy of space relating to the lot and the size of the house,” says Miguel Rivera, AIA.

While changing the roofline was out of the question, the architects borrowed interior volume for the living room from a covered second-story deck and part of the second floor, adding clerestories and a wall of sliding glass doors. A travertine terrace steps down to the pool under a light-filtering aluminum trellis, banishing the deck and guardrail and opening the house to hill-country views. In front, an elegant vestibule replaces the wedge-shaped dining room. The front door is clad in thin copper pipe, which foreshadows the fireplace's new floor-to-ceiling copper panels.

The project's design and exquisite detailing pleased the jury. “I love the way they opened up that wedge,” said one judge.